Survival in the water and in life is always a question of balance. The principle is expressed in the equation “Nature = God” carved into the sandstone above Malibu by legendary waterman Tom Blake (1902-1994). He enlivened the essential surfer’s philosophy of respect – for others, for history, for the power of nature. He understood that it was all nature. He believed that it was all God. The intrinsic sustaining balance of the natural world is self-evident. It is something that is educated into each surfer. If you ride waves long enough and keep your eyes and heart open, you get it. — Drew Kampion

DREW KAMPION is is the author of The Book of Waves, The Art of Christian Riese Lassen, and Stoked: A History of Surf Culture, the number-one selling book on the history of surf. He is a regular contributor to The Surfer’s Journal, Adrenalin, Longboard, and many other magazines. His website, http://www.drewkampion.com, features some of his abundant and thoughtful work.

Drawing by Raymond Pettibone, Courtesy of Regen Projects